Today we are honored to have Kate Elliott over as our guest for the day. Kate is the author of amazing fantasy fiction (we are huge fans of her Spiritwalker Trilogy), and we’re thrilled to have her here to talk about fan art and how it led to her writing a new book.
Please give a warm welcome to Kate Elliott, everyone!
HOW FAN-ART BROUGHT ME TO WRITE A STORY
I love fanart.
I’m not alone in loving fanart, as I know because I see my writer friends with great delight linking to art depicting characters and scenes from their books. In fact I love seeing fanart drawn for the worlds of friends of mine as much as I love seeing fanart drawn in one of my worlds. Because the medium is different and because I am such a visual person, art makes everything pop for me. It is also such a lovely tribute to characters the reader has enjoyed.
The first piece of fanart for the Spiritwalker books I saw was this wonderful piece by Anna Davidson. Later, fanart showed up on Tumblr, but if the artist hasn’t deliberately drawn my attention to it then I try not to intrude. As with fanfic, fanart isn’t actually about me or for me; it is a way for readers to interact with the story they’ve read and share it with others. That’s how I see it, anyway.
The existence of fanart for the Spiritwalker books inspired me to create a fanart-style project of my own. The main character and first person narrator of the Spiritwalker books is a young woman named Cat (Catherine). Her best friend is also her cousin, Bee (Beatrice), whose adventurous story unfolds alongside Cat’s but often “off-stage” from Cat’s journey.
I had long contemplated a story “as told by” Bee, detailing her own adventures. Bee is not a shy or retiring personality and I knew she would have lots to say and that she would tell her story in a way different from Cat.
Because Bee is an artist who carries her sketchbook with her everywhere, it made sense that any story she told would be accompanied by illustrations “as drawn by” her and with an emphasis on the things Bee finds most interesting, which are good looking young men, kissing, and “natural history” (as she would call science).
The Secret Journal of Beatrice Hassi Barahal turned into a short story of about 6000 words (written by me) accompanied by 29 illustrations drawn by the fabulous artist Julie Dillon.
It is my first self publishing venture, one that I entered into not with any intention of making money (I’m hoping possibly to break even once the pdf version comes out) but simply because I wanted illustrations of the characters, something I could share with the many readers who have read and enjoyed the Spiritwalker books, sort of a “thank you” to them.
I hasten to add that no one is required to take these versions as absolute, that this is the way you or anyone *must* visualize the characters. It’s my belief that part of the interaction between reader and story is the way readers’ imaginations create the characters in their head, and that whatever that may be is right for them.
What I learned from doing this project is that creating a solid looking print volume has a lot more levels and complexities than I had realized. This was true even though I paid other people to do the parts of the work I had no experience in nor time to learn, which is pretty much all of it.
First, I had to make the decision to really go ahead and do it. That in itself wasn’t easy because I kept telling myself why it would be impossible. I also had to decide whether I could afford the initial outlay, because from the beginning I intended to pay people for their work rather than asking for volunteer labor or offering people a chance to work for me in exchange for visibility.
The most important step was to find an artist. My daughter suggested Julie Dillon immediately. I also asked Lauren Panepinto, the art director of Orbit Books, if she had any suggestions of young up-and-coming professional artists in the early stages of making a name for themselves because I knew I could not afford a fully established artist who has been around for years. I also wanted a younger artist because I felt a younger hand might work better for the project. Lauren’s list of a dozen young artists included Julie Dillon. Being a person who always looks coincidence in the face, I decided to approach Dillon first.
Being me, I then went through weeks of hesitation, sure that no one would want to work with me and that if I asked I would just be told “no.” I struggle with this sort of self doubt constantly, and I mention it in public in case anyone else out there struggles with self doubt. It’s a thing, and it’s real and difficult, so I like people to know that in my experience it is possible to continue to write (or accomplish whatever endeavor) even as you wrestle with fears and anxieties.
When I finally emailed Dillon, she responded with an enthusiastic “yes” — and my timing was excellent because only a few weeks later she was nominated as a Finalist for the Hugo Award for Best Artist, the first woman since the 1980s to be so nominated.
I explained what I wanted, and Julie met her deadline with the 29 aforementioned and entirely wonderful black and white illustrations (hers was the only deadline met in the entire endeavor, in fact, a sign of her professionalism).
By this time I had a finished draft of the story, so I turned the story and the illustrations over to my daughter Rhiannon who works as a print estimator and who is co-publisher (with Melanie Ujimori) of a micro press called Crab Tank that publishes Tankadere, an annual comics anthology, as well as one-off projects. She knows her way around layout, design, and actual printing.
The page count and binding of the chapbook had to be confirmed because as a short story it has more of the feel of a chapbook (or short children’s picture book) than a paperback. We went back and forth over: whether to do staples or glue; the actual size (6 x 9); the cover; the estimated print run. Fortunately she knew a printing house in Portland she wanted to use whose work she trusted.
Due to a family illness this part of the process ended up taking far longer than expected. A designer did the preliminary layout. I commented on it, my daughter did revisions, and I did bits and pieces of rewriting as we moved text and illustrations around and as I insisted that the picture of the romantic lead had to be larger. No, larger.
The first unbound “proof” copy came off the press in late July. I do not consider myself a perfectionist, but we went through four “proof” versions before we decided that we had done everything we could and caught every possible mistake we could find and had a version we were willing to see go to press. I sweet-talked a publishing professional who had also read Spiritwalker into proofing the story in exchange for a free copy. Proof-readers and editors are your friends. This entire process ended up taking about five weeks due to travel and work and (see above) family illness complications.
The chapbook was printed, and I announced that the print run was available on my blog, Twitter, Facebook, & Tumblr, which are the main places where I hang out online. Melanie gave me advice on proper packaging methods so that the book would arrive safely and unmangled, and she and I bought all the things, put the book into plastic sleeves with a chipboard backing for stability, addressed envelopes, and went to the post office.
The print version is available to order via the Crab Tank website. A pdf is almost done, lacking just a few technical issues, and then it will also be available via Crab Tank.
The Secret Journal of Beatrice Hassi Barahal functions as a sort of coda to the Spiritwalker Trilogy. The timespan covered in its 36 pages encompasses all three of the Spiritwalker books as well as extending a short span beyond the end of the trilogy. I tried to make the story work alone but obviously it is full of spoilers and works best if you already know the characters. If I must say so myself, the illustrations are magnificent.
In honor of this exciting first in my professional life and to mark the completion of the Spiritwalker Trilogy (and its coda), I am offering a Spiritwalker Giveaway, kindly hosted by the most excellent Book Smugglers Thea and Ana.
The Giveaway:
The entire Spiritwalker Trilogy (Cold Magic, Cold Fire, Cold Steel) in trade paper format, a paper copy of the Bonus Chapter 31.5 (fits with Cold Fire), and a copy of The Secret Journal of Beatrice Hassi Barahal. All signed by me (can be personalized if the winner desires), and the Secret Journal is also signed by Julie Dillon.
There will be two sets given away, one domestic USA and one International.
To enter, use the form below. GOOD LUCK!
139 Comments
Rachel
October 14, 2013 at 12:17 amI love Apofiss from DeviantArt – here is an example.
I’ve read Cold Magic and have been longing to get my hands on the rest of the series.
PS. I’m international
megan
October 14, 2013 at 12:39 amI love oxboxer on deviantart.
This journal looks lovely!
de Pizan
October 14, 2013 at 12:54 amMy favorite artist is probably Emily Carr. Living in the Northwest, her art really speaks to me. (I’m not familiar enough with fan artists to have a favorite, although I’ve seen a lot that I enjoyed.)
Jana
October 14, 2013 at 1:11 amRight now, my favorite artist is Noelle Stevenson. Her art always has a sense of movement and life, and she has a great eye for color.
Anonymous
October 14, 2013 at 1:18 amDefinitely James Jean, his Fables covers are works of art.
maggie.
October 14, 2013 at 1:19 amWhoops pressed enter too soon! Definitely James Jean, his Fables covers are works of art.
Lee
October 14, 2013 at 3:09 amI’m actually a big fan of Julie Dillon. She was on my blog once which was a huge deal for me. I also love Rebecca Guay, Gregory Manchess, Kinuko Craft, Aly Fell, and Galen Dara just to name a few. Thanks so much for the giveaway!
Mervi
October 14, 2013 at 3:20 amMy favorite artists are John Romita Jr. and Alan Davis.
Megan
October 14, 2013 at 4:15 amI really like blindthistle fan art (especially for cinder and scarlet).
Kelly Tackett
October 14, 2013 at 4:20 amMy favorite artists have to be Katie Cook, who does the Gronk and My Little Pony Comics, along with a lot of adorable fan art, and Comfort Love and Adam Withers, who partner with having two amazing comic series, The Uniques, and Rainbow in the Dark.
Brenda Chan
October 14, 2013 at 4:22 amI really like looking at the bookshelf illustration in Colin Thompson’s How to Live Forever.
Gerd D.
October 14, 2013 at 4:38 amFor favourite artist I would go with Berni Wrightson whose artwork deeply impressed me in my youth, and though my interests have shifted some over the years I still love to see the stuff he did.
Giada M.
October 14, 2013 at 5:25 amMy favorite is and will always remain my fantastic friend, Deda. She created a romance webcomic about piracy, The Pirate Balthasar. I adore it!
Thank you for posting and for the awesome giveaway! 😀
Jacqueline
October 14, 2013 at 6:40 amI don’t have a favorite living artist but I do enjoy James Jean’s work on the Fables covers and elsewhere.
Stephanie Burgis
October 14, 2013 at 6:46 amI’ve recently discovered the art of Meredith Dillman, which I love.
I also love Kate Elliott’s books and love the idea of this chapbook! 🙂
Liz Bourke
October 14, 2013 at 7:37 amThe Secret Journal is astonishingly pretty. I haven’t read it yet: I’m almost afraid to touch it, it’s that lovely.
Joni Patterson
October 14, 2013 at 7:41 amOne book-cover artist I ADORE is Jason Chan. His images are always so rich and atmospheric. Plus, there’s something about his style that makes his work easy to recognize and once spotted the picture normally has a way of dragging me to the book to read the synopsis. ^^
I love how the idea for this collaboration came about. Thanks for the giveaway! ^^
Noelle
October 14, 2013 at 7:49 amI love fan art–especially book fan art. My recent favorite is tumblr user Simini Blocker.
Foz Meadows
October 14, 2013 at 8:01 amMy favourite fan artist is minuiko – she does the most amazing art for Tamora Piercec’s work; it’s gorgeous!
Kaetrin
October 14, 2013 at 8:09 amI’m a bit of an art ignoramous actually. I like Kandinsky. Does that count? 😛
Whitney
October 14, 2013 at 8:13 amMy favorite artist is Wangechi Mutu. Amazing contemporary art!
Patricia Eimer
October 14, 2013 at 8:40 amI love seeing people’s fanart. Maybe because I can’t draw a ruler with a straight line but some fandom artists are amazingly talented.
SuzanneF
October 14, 2013 at 9:06 amUh, Julie Dillion illustrating Kate Elliot? Where do I sign up?
Right now, I’m a huge fan of Minuiko, who does lovely illustrations of Tamora Pierce’s work.
Halley T.
October 14, 2013 at 9:13 amCurrently my favorite professional artist is Gene Luen Yang. That may be because I miss Avatar so much right now, and I am enjoying his comics immensely.
Lexi
October 14, 2013 at 9:16 amI am not sure that I have a favorite. Currently, I really like Chris Ayers’s Daily Zoo because the creatures can always make me smile.
Adrianne
October 14, 2013 at 9:35 amI hope your self publishing venture is a total success. I am waiting impatiently for the eBook version.
mary anne
October 14, 2013 at 9:36 amI am amazingly ignorant about art and artists – especially artists. Though I just read the Moribito books and really liked the illustrations in it a lot.
Melissa
October 14, 2013 at 9:37 amI love this idea – chapbooks and copybons are great ways to self-publish, IMO (although I say that as a consumer and not someone who has to go through creating them!).
Personally I love C. Lijewski – MediaViolence on deviantart and discordia on tumblr. I have a few of her copybons/art books, and they’re fantastic!
Lura Slowinski
October 14, 2013 at 9:43 amMy favorite artist is Noelle Stevenson, aka Gingerhaze. She does both original and fan art that’s always quirky and funny.
Anita Yancey
October 14, 2013 at 9:50 amI don’t really have a favorite.
Erin
October 14, 2013 at 9:57 amI’ve always loved Makani’s Harry Potter fanart.
http://makani.deviantart.com/
jillheather
October 14, 2013 at 11:13 amRight now I am really enjoying the Portly Princess art on tumblr.
Katrina
October 14, 2013 at 11:36 amI’m not a visual person, so I don’t really go out of my way to figure out what characters look like. In fact, I prefer to have a nebulous visual idea in my head of who they are; that’s why I really don’t like watching film versions of books I’ve enjoyed. I honestly can’t think of a single ‘favourite’ artist. I really should be able to- I talk art all the time with my boyfriend, who’s currently doing a BFA in Studio Arts.
Isabelle L
October 14, 2013 at 11:59 amI don’t have a favorite fan artists (too many amazing people), but I love the artwork of Brad Weinman, who did the cover art for Patrick Carman’s “Land of Elyon” series. The pictures are so dynamic that the characters, who are usually pretty static, are brought to life.
The Literary Omnivore
October 14, 2013 at 12:21 pmDonato Ginacola leaps to mind for epic treatments, but I’m also terribly fond of Harry Clarke, the Irish illustrator.
Serena
October 14, 2013 at 1:13 pmI have enjoyed a lot of fanart I have come across, but do not have any particular favorites. I tend to drift more towards fanart on specific favorite stories, than towards specific artists.
jpetroroy
October 14, 2013 at 1:22 pmI love Mary Grand Pre.
Ellie
October 14, 2013 at 1:49 pmMy favorite artists on Tumblr are Noelle Steveson and Tyler Feder.
Amanda
October 14, 2013 at 1:57 pmI love the cover art of Kinuko Craft, who does all of Patricia McKillip’s books. I picked up my first McKillip book because I was attracted to the gorgeous artwork and am on a mission to own them all (lovely storytelling + lovely cover art = match made in book-heaven). They do look beautiful together on my bookshelves…
Estara Swanberg
October 14, 2013 at 3:11 pmSuch a great background story and I LOVE Julie Dillon’s art. I had seen bits before when she had been nominated for the Chesney, a year before she won it. And then she did those amazing covers for Andrea Höst’s books – and that great calendar on her site… and Judith Tarr had been planning to get her work for her newest Avaryan book, but the Kickstarter didn’t go high enough.. *sigh*
On another note, why the heck in all this time has Jody Lee never been nominated for a Hugo? Her covers led me to a lot of DAW books, and in general a lot of books by women writers, in the first place, in the 80s. I adore her Michelle West covers for the Essalieyan series especially, but I also always loved her Valdemar covers.
Went and ordered from your daughter’s site – if shipping to Germany weren’t so prohibitive I’d have ordered those Tankadere anthologies too, they look great.
Hannah H
October 14, 2013 at 3:28 pmI’m a big fan of Banksy! I like the clean, graphic style and his satirical bent. As for fan artists, I really like Marko Manev.
Emma
October 14, 2013 at 3:29 pmI love Kinuko Craft’s artwork. There have been several books that I only picked up because of her gorgeous cover art.
Katrina
October 14, 2013 at 4:31 pmI like a lot of different artists, but probably Christian Riese Lassen is my favorite one 😀 (non-author artist that is)
Caley
October 14, 2013 at 5:48 pmHmmm . . . I don’t have a favourite contemporary artist, but I do study book illustration, and of all the books I’ve looked at, I would have to say the Tenniel’s illustrations for Alice in Wonderland are the most magical.
Barbara Elness
October 14, 2013 at 7:05 pmThere are so many wonderful artists, but one artist that I have several pieces of is Amy Brown, so I guess you can say she’s my favorite. I’d like to mention Echo Chernik as well, she’s so awesome.
Justine
October 14, 2013 at 7:16 pmI don’t have a favorite fan artist. I would say one of my favorite artists is Dale Chihuly.
Alison C
October 14, 2013 at 7:51 pmThe one that pops up in my mine is the illustrator for The Rithmatist – Ben McSweeney. All the illustrations for that book really add to the story.
Kate & Zena
October 14, 2013 at 8:29 pmThe two that immediately pop into my head are Kelly McKernan (whom I am dear friends with) and Mark Raats (who does posters for LucasFilms, and I talk to occasionally!)
Jesse
October 14, 2013 at 8:30 pmKinuko Craft‘s book covers are stunning.
Amalia
October 14, 2013 at 8:46 pmMy favorite artist is Yulia Brodskaya. She does awesomely awesome work with paper, mostly in the form of quilling, and I wish I could do that.
LisaC
October 14, 2013 at 9:03 pmI like Ursula Vernon’s work.
Llehn
October 14, 2013 at 10:37 pmMaggie Stiefvater.
Gaby Metivier
October 14, 2013 at 10:38 pmI’ve always loved Wassily Kandinsky’s work, spacially his compositions VI, VII and VIII. Simply amazing! 😀
erinf1
October 14, 2013 at 10:46 pmdon’t really have one. I’m not really into visual art. More the written art 😉 Thanks for sharing!
Ollie
October 14, 2013 at 11:05 pmI don’t really have a favorite artist. I do like the work of Alphonse Mucha which I learned about this semester in History of Graphic Design. His work is amazing and its crazy how his style has influenced art to this day.
Trisana
October 14, 2013 at 11:06 pmI’m a huge fan of David Aja right now.
Mark
October 14, 2013 at 11:16 pmVelazquez.
Mulluane
October 14, 2013 at 11:18 pmMicheal Whelan has been one of my favorites for years!
Summer
October 14, 2013 at 11:31 pmDegas. I love the dancers.
Susan Puls
October 15, 2013 at 1:41 amI tend more towards favorite composers (Ramin Djawadi and Jesper Kyd) than artists, but currently my favorite is probably Aaron Diaz. He has an amazing sense of style.
Mieneke van der Salm
October 15, 2013 at 3:00 amI have two actually. One is Jody A. Lee, who also did the covers for Kate’s Crown of Stars series. I love her style and she’s illustrated some of my favourite authors, such as Kate, but also Mercedes Lackey and Fiona Patton.
The other is Joey HiFi, who is genius in my opinion. I love the covers he did for Lauren Beukes, Chuck Wendig and Jurassic London.
Yjgalla
October 15, 2013 at 4:37 amMy favourite artist (still alive) is Paul Carrick. And he’s a nice guy, too.
Annegret
October 15, 2013 at 5:58 amMy favourite artist is Paul Klee.
Ash
October 15, 2013 at 6:41 amCory Godbey for sure. His lines and colours are amazing.
Ro
October 15, 2013 at 7:20 amI like Luis Royo
Siransi
October 15, 2013 at 7:34 amAlice X. Zhang. Her fanart is beautiful
Helle M. Larsen
October 15, 2013 at 8:58 amI’m a big fan of Tony DiTerlizzi’s illustrations. 🙂
Hebe
October 15, 2013 at 9:49 amI always loved Alan Lee’s illustrations for The Lord of the Rings, they just capture something so perfect for the books.
Raina
October 15, 2013 at 10:07 amI love Brigid Vaughn’s art. Her Harry and Ginny are ON POINT
Lan
October 15, 2013 at 10:38 amVermeer.
Becky C.
October 15, 2013 at 10:53 amI don’t really have one.
Catherine Gunson
October 15, 2013 at 11:04 amI love Michael Whelan’s art too. And I have been loving the cover art on the Spiritwalker (Peter Cotton I believe?) and the Crossroads (also by Kate Elliott) trilogies.
Catherine Gunson
October 15, 2013 at 11:05 amI love Michael Whelan’s art too. And I have been loving the cover art on the Spiritwalker (Peter Cotton I believe?) and the Crossroads (also by Kate Elliott) trilogies.
whitewolfreads
October 15, 2013 at 11:41 amCover artist like Dan Dos Santos and Tony Mauro. I also enjoy works by Amy Brown and Nene Thomas.
Jae Young
October 15, 2013 at 12:08 pmI love the journal done by Bee as she not only tells her story, she also tells the bits that Cat did not live. Always great to see authors who agree with me about the social/interactive nature about fanart/fanfic. And who doesn’t love art done by fans? 🙂
Jae Young
October 15, 2013 at 12:09 pmHum one of my favorite professional artists is John Singer Sargent. I have not been as good at following fanartists, alas! (Oops, didn’t see what kind of comment I was supposed to leave.)
jenmitch
October 15, 2013 at 12:10 pmi don’t have a favorite fantasy artist (i assume that’s what we’re all talking about, yes? the giveaway says to leave a comment but i don’t see any directions!)
anyways i’m enjoying seeing all these responses and will have to check some of the people out!
my favorite contemporary artist is my little sister, http://sarinamitchel.tumblr.com/ who is currently a student at art school, and growing as an artist every day! 🙂
superbwg
October 15, 2013 at 1:33 pmMy favorite artists that I have seen in my favorite books are Charles Vess, Michael Whelan, and Ana Juan all of these artists have add the perfect atmosphere in the books they have illustrated/done covers for.
Rose L.
October 15, 2013 at 2:43 pmMy favorite fan artist is probably viria (on tumblr/deviantart). She draws art from a lot of my favorite fandoms and I just love her style!
Lauren
October 15, 2013 at 3:02 pmI think my favorite illustrator is Brian Selznick – not only is he a wonderful artist, but he’s a fabulous storyteller as well.
As far as professional artists go, it’s Marc Chagall, hands-down. Swirly, whimsical, dark, romance – the man knew how to paint a picture, that’s all I’m saying.
Michelle
October 15, 2013 at 3:29 pmMy favorite artist is actually a team: Zelda Devon and Kurt Huggins of Teetering Bulb Studios. Here’s one of my favorites.
TN
October 15, 2013 at 3:44 pmDan Dos Santos has beautiful art, which has helped me discover several good books too!
Mia
October 15, 2013 at 5:22 pmThe artwork looks beautiful. I don’t really have a favorite artist, but I’m going to be paying attention to more fanart from now on.
Anonymous
October 15, 2013 at 6:19 pmNot sure how many Potterheads are out there but Makani used to do some side-splittingly hilarious sketches of the Harry Potter characters! She had a site called AccioBrain.net but I recently searched fior it and
Zahraa
October 15, 2013 at 6:24 pmI’m not sure how many of you are Potterheads on here but there’s an awesome artist called Makani who used to do side-splittingly hilarious sketches of characters from the wizarding world of Harry Potter. She had a site called acciobrain.net but I searched for it recently and I think it’s closed down now unfortunately. She does do loads of other awesome art on DeviantArt.com, so if you search her name it should come up. Another digital artist that I really like is Charlie Bowater. Her pictures are always super dreamy and beautiful. You’ll find her on DA too!
Sara
October 15, 2013 at 7:02 pmI don’t have a favorite artist but there is many different amazing fantasy fan art pieces out there!
Katy K.
October 15, 2013 at 8:01 pmI’m very fond of Charles Vess’s work, and have recently been enjoying the artist for one of my daughter’s picture book series, Alexandra Boiger.
Katherine
October 15, 2013 at 9:54 pmI loved the Mary GrandPré Harry Potter book covers – she included so many details that you only understood once you had finished reading.
Mary Preston
October 15, 2013 at 11:19 pmI love the works of the old Dutch Masters.
Amanda @ Late Nights with Good Books
October 15, 2013 at 11:24 pmMinuiko is a tumblr blogger I recently discovered who draws lots of fanart for Tamora Pierce’s books, the Graceling series, A Song of Ice and Fire series, Harry Potter series, and the Queen’s Thief series.
I do love those images that Kate Elliott has shared here. I need to finish up her series soon! Thanks for the giveaway!
Naira
October 16, 2013 at 1:50 amMy favourite is Joe Benitez, mainly because of Lady Mechanika.
Amy
October 16, 2013 at 2:47 amThis is amazing! I love love love these books and think its so exciting and lovely that the author has had this professionally put together! As someone who works in illustration I think its a fantastic idea – I wish more people would create something like this! My absolute favourite illustrator/artist is Rebecca Dautremer.
Ink
October 16, 2013 at 1:18 pmI have no idea who my favourite artist or fan artist is, mostly because my tastes vary and I never remember names. I love Van Gogh’s work, but on a casual level and I don’t know enough about him to really call him my favourite.
MollyKanHas
October 16, 2013 at 1:53 pmThis is my comment about entering the giveaway. There are many like it, but this one is mine.
P.S. Yes! Really, really want this! Love the Spiritwalker books!
Jen
October 16, 2013 at 1:53 pmHrm. Not exactly fan art, but I’ve got a soft spot for the old (1980’s) D&D artwork.
neth
October 16, 2013 at 1:54 pmI’d like to win
MollyKanHas
October 16, 2013 at 1:59 pmI think I missed what I was supposed to say in my comment…sorry! One of my favorite artists of recent times is Sam Spratt. He usually doesn’t do fantasy, but his art is amazing and he’s an encouraging person overall.
Vanilla
October 16, 2013 at 2:03 pmMy fav artist Van Gogh, without a doubt.
Rick
October 16, 2013 at 2:41 pmMichael Whelan
Nicole H.
October 16, 2013 at 3:23 pmI’m rather fond of Stephanie Pui-Mun Law.
And Marta is a great Harry Potter artist (I think she does more than that now but that’s where I remember first coming across her stuff and loving it).
Oh and I agree with whoever said that Degas’ work is lovely (the ballerinas!).
CL Mannarino
October 16, 2013 at 4:21 pmThis is an excellent giveaway! Very exciting. 🙂
CL Mannarino
October 16, 2013 at 4:23 pmAlso, Alice X. Zhang
Jenn
October 16, 2013 at 4:24 pmI like many artists, but am bad at remembering names. I hadn’t been too interested in fan art because I don’t like having my view of a character influenced. But there are so many talented artists, I’m developing an appreciation!
Catherine
October 16, 2013 at 6:34 pmHmm, I don’t really follow any current artists, but my favourite artist from the past is Monet.
Katharine O
October 16, 2013 at 8:33 pmHenri Fantin-Latour
Paige Firth
October 17, 2013 at 9:47 pmMy favorite fan artist is Alice X. Zhang, as someone else said. Her Disney wallpapers are on every device I own. So gorgeous.
Alexandra the Great
October 17, 2013 at 10:10 pmFor now, I’ll say the Pre-Raphaelites. You could say that a lot of their work was essentially Greek/Arthurian mythology fanart…
Sian
October 18, 2013 at 1:09 amI too am a huge fan of Alice. X. Zhang. She’s incredibly talented, both with traditional and digital mediums. I have her paintings as my screensaver, which causes much distraction 😛
Tehani
October 18, 2013 at 1:11 amOoh, I’ve been dying to read this series!
Tehani
October 18, 2013 at 1:12 amI’m a huge fan of Kathleen Jennings (nominated for a World Fantasy Award this year) – I’m lucky enough to have worked with her as an artist and writer, and thing she’s just marvellous!
Stargazerah
October 18, 2013 at 1:18 amMaurice Sendak
Cat Hellisen (@hellioncat)
October 18, 2013 at 1:18 amMy all-time favourite artist is Egon Schiele, but Miss Lucid did some awesome fanart for my book and it was like she saw into my brain so naturally I think she’s s genius. 😉
Katharine (@ThiefofCamorr)
October 18, 2013 at 1:19 amWho is your favorite artist (fan artist or professional)?
Hrm. Ben Templesmith, I think, for graphic novels. Alice. X. Zhang for everything else, she’s utterly amazing.
Clare
October 18, 2013 at 2:51 amI wish I knew more about art tbh, but Alejandro Guijarro’s photographs of scientist’s blackboards after teaching classes are very beautiful.
Juliet
October 18, 2013 at 3:51 amFavourite artist: Jackie Morris.
Kelly G.
October 18, 2013 at 10:46 amRuby Roth
Naomi C
October 18, 2013 at 11:36 amThis is a very exciting give away, and I love the full-circle interactivity between writing and art 🙂 There are some very talented fan artists who provide a visual window on our favourite characters as well as the authors written version.
dana
October 18, 2013 at 4:33 pmThis was a wonderful post. Thank you for it and for the giveaway. As for artist, can I say Rodin? I know he is a sculpturer but wow, his work never stops amazing me…
Lesley D
October 18, 2013 at 10:08 pmThanks for the giveaway! Georgia O’Keeffe has always been a favorite artist of mine.
Adrian Couper
October 19, 2013 at 2:07 amGreat giveaway! At the risk of showing my age, Alan Willow & Chris Achillos (who illustrated the early Doctor Who novelisations, back in the 1970’s) were great favourites.
Aliette de Bodard
October 19, 2013 at 2:13 amthe chapbook looks awesome…
My favourite artist is Nhan Y Doanh, who did the cover for the ebook edition of On a Red Station: http://sinvia.deviantart.com
She’s a very versatile artist.
Gillian Polack
October 19, 2013 at 2:53 amI wish I had one favourite artist, but, since I don’t, I’ll name a friend, Kathleen Jennings. She has the most wonderful fairytale feel to her work, and I’m in fairytale mode today.
evie
October 19, 2013 at 3:31 amI don’t have a favorite current artist. I do enjoy the work of classical artists.
Cassandra
October 19, 2013 at 4:20 amWhat a great give away! I love the work of Stephanie Pui-Mun Law.
Jennifer
October 19, 2013 at 4:28 amI like the works of Monet.
Rosie
October 19, 2013 at 6:00 amI don’t have a favorite artist, just as long as it’s good to look at 🙂
LeAnn
October 19, 2013 at 3:41 pmI like this woman Andiree on Tumblr: http://spookyandiree.tumblr.com. She has some great Eleanor & Park fan art that I just love.
Memory
October 19, 2013 at 3:42 pmI adore Stephan Martiniere’s work. He handles place so, so well.
On another note, Kate Elliot’s words on fear and anxiety were exactly what I needed to hear today. Thank you.
Anastasia @ Here There Be Books
October 19, 2013 at 3:46 pmMy favorite classic-ish artist is probably Vincent van Gogh, and my favorite modern artist is Polly Guo! (http://pollums.com/) She wrote a fantastic comic called Houdini and Holmes. Yay!
lillian
October 19, 2013 at 4:07 pmI’ve always loved John Jude Palancar’s book covers.
Great giveaway!
Heather A
October 19, 2013 at 4:41 pmMy favourite artist is Dan Dos Santos who does the cover art for Patricia Brigg’s Mercy Thompson series.
Martijn
October 19, 2013 at 7:42 pmThe fantasy art of Alan Lee and Donato Giancola, also the imaginative illustrations by David Litchfield.
Lora M
October 19, 2013 at 11:16 pmWhat a fantastic giveaway! My favourite artist was Ralph McQuarrie, who did all the Star Wars posters and things. His art was fantastic and I could just stare at it for hours.
Nicole
October 19, 2013 at 11:18 pmNanami Cowdroy
Caryn
October 19, 2013 at 11:41 pmStill have a fondness for David Mattingly who did the cover for Barbara Hambly’s Time of the Dark.
Steffi Koh
October 19, 2013 at 11:46 pmMy favourite artist is Alice X. Zhang as well.
Nathan (@ReviewBarn)
October 19, 2013 at 11:54 pmBob Ross is my favorite artist. Not because of his works, but because I honest to go learned to paint by watching his show.
My 2013 In Writing | I Make Up Worlds
December 8, 2015 at 6:47 pm[…] On Fan Art (and how it inspired The Secret Journal). […]
Blog Post 1: Form Effects Meaning – Future of the Book
January 22, 2016 at 12:10 pm[…] Kate Elliott talks about the process behind making the Secret Journal: http://www.thebooksmugglers.com/2013/10/the-secret-journal-of-beatrice-hassi-barahal-kate-elliott-on-fan… […]